Boutique in a Box
Cameo Style, maker of the Creative Kiosk, debuted its new Boutique in a Box at PMA 2008. Boutique in a Box, which is based on the latest retail design trends, was created to deliver a lasting experience and new profits for photo retailers, in a footprint under 20 square feet.

The Boutique in a Box showcases the product collection from Cameo Style and Swing Design-including such items as photobooks, collage frames, folded cards, trays, coasters, and bookmarks-all of which can be created directly from the Creative Kiosk. The Boutique in a Box comes bundled with the Cameo Style Creative Kiosk, Cameo Style product assortment, and Ricoh SD811 printer.

"We recognize that store operations must take first priority for busy retailers, so creating access to a turnkey design represents the added value that Cameo Style brings to retailers," said RAVID BUTZ, CEO. "Our commitment to excellent design and to creating new profit opportunities for our retailers are the guiding principles behind our collaboration with designer STEVEN CARROLL."

Incidentally, Carroll was at the Cameo Style booth at PMA. He stated, "It was terrific listening to the retailers' open acceptance of the boutique at its premiere at the PMA show." He noted that many of the visitors to Cameo Style's booth-framers, scrapbook retailers, and photo retailers-felt that the addition of the boutique housing Cameo Style's product would add value to their stores. -Diane Berkenfeld

Lifestyle Photo Products from Liberty and OblÚ

Liberty Photo products, known for its distribution of lab consumables, equipment, and replacement parts, has partnered with OblÚ Multimedia to introduce the Liberty Creativity Station kiosk. In addition to typical print services, consumers using a Liberty Creativity Station kiosk will also be able to create lifestyle photo products such as CD/DVDs, collage posters, photobooks, fashion photo wear, calendars, greeting cards, and much more. The kiosk is a self-service unit that can be used on a countertop, as a workstation, or as part of a multi-kiosk configuration.

The kiosk can input both still-image files and video clips from all digital camera media cards, CD/DVDs, cameraphones, and MP3 players via networks. Output devices can include inkjet and dye-sub printers, digital minilabs, and central labs.

"Liberty's success originated from its ability to continually exceed customer expectations, and as the industry continues its shift into digital from analog, we're committed to writing the next chapter of digital photography-listening to the heartbeat of consumers' needs," said GARRY GREEN, president of Liberty. "Our logistics and sourcing platform and our two decades of in-house expertise have allowed us to discover the best-in-class products for delivering the new trends in lifestyle photo products, and the OblÚ technology definitely matches the level of quality and performance our customers have come to expect."

The Creativity Station offers unique customized and themed templates, which, along with auto-composition software, let consumers create a wide variety of products. The Liberty Creativity Station is also designed to offer labs the versatility to "up-sell" consumers into new photo products-the workflow software automatically proposes new product options to the customer at that kiosk-with the preview of the consumer's images already inserted into the graphics.-Diane Berkenfeld

Storefront.com Wins the Super Bowl of Kiosks with a Blowout Victory

To the folks at Storefront.com, the Super Bowl is over. They won and are now uncorking the champagne to douse each another.

The equivalent of the Super Bowl in the kiosk business is the DIMA Photo Kiosk Shoot-Out, which was held in Las Vegas the day before PMA opened. Unlike the face-off in Arizona, where one team plays only one other team in one game, DIMA's Super Bowl pits 28 kiosks in eight separate competitions.

Storefront.com won six of the eight competitions, the most one-sided blowout since the Shoot-Out five years ago. Kodak was a winner of one category, and Whitech the other.

The competition is broken down into four separate categories: Digital Order Station; Instant Print Kiosk; Software Only; and Multi-Function Photo Kiosk. Each category is judged by two different panels: a group of three industry experts and a consumer panel of local residents. In total: eight competitions.

Kodak took the Expert's Choice honors with its new G4x Print Station in the Multi-Function Photo Kiosk category as selected by the expert panel. Whitech was the winner in the Digital Order Station group, with its PT2600 taking the People's Choice honors. Storefront.com swept the other six, three from the experts and three more from the consumer panel. Its IT-2000 kiosk won two of the awards.

Asked for his reaction when he first heard about the six awards, TOM CEH, senior VP, Sales and Marketing for Storefront.com, said he used exclamations not suitable for printing in a family publication. Then: "We were ecstatic, totally flabbergasted. The word 'wow' is definitely in play." In describing his firm that flies somewhat below the radar, Tom said, "People are beginning to see Storefront.com as a leader in the kiosk space."
Among the firm's customers are Kroger, Duane Reade, Fred Meyer, and King Soopers.

MURRAY MACDONALD is president and BOB RICCI is CEO of Storefront.com. To them, Super Bowl Sunday's game was only an incidental event.-Jerry Lansky